Swinging
by Eunice Branca
Summary: It's spring, when young men's thoughts turn to...swinging?


The light afternoon air smelled sweet, like fresh-cut grass and spring blossoms. Upon entering the park, Joey had said the air smelled like swimming pools and baseball, something to which his boyfriend Seto had rolled his eyes, biting an insult to keep it from passing his lips. That was the difference between the two long-time lovers. Seto saw things the way they were. The physical representations to things such as smells were tangible things, like the lemon tree whose blossoms were just rotting away to reveal tiny green lemons beneath their petals. To Joey, life was more about memories and feelings than anything else. To him, spring reminded him of the anticipation of summer, of childhood things like playing in the grass and eating ice cream cones.

Hands intertwined, the couple made their way to a picnic bench that was positioned almost perfectly underneath a large tree, allowing just the slightest glow of the sun to pass through its broad leaves. The air was cooler in the shade, and Joey rubbed his hands lightly over his arms with the sudden drop in temperature. Sitting in the cool park after their morning jog had become a favorite part of spring for both boys, and some days they would lay in the grass and bask in the warm glow of the sun. If anyone from school could see Seto now, Joey would think, they would absolutely flip their lid.

Taking a swig from his water bottle and without bothering to wipe the dribbles off his chin, Joey looked around the park. Eyeing the swings, he wondered if Seto had ever let go and played on a swingset before.

"Hey, Seto," Joey suddenly said without taking his eyes off of the swings.

"Hmm?" Seto replied lazily, clearly enjoying the fresh air and the warm breeze that was ruffling his T-Shirt and jogging pants.

"Do you swing?" Joey asked, setting his elbow on the picnic table and resting his chin heavily in his palm.

"Five years and you're already bored with our relationship? And here I was under the impression that you were incredibly satisfied with our sex life."

"Huh?" Joey whipped his eyes to meet Seto's, relaxing when he saw the mischievous glint in his boyfriend's eyes. "Ha, ha. Really, though, have you ever played on the swings?"

Trailing his gaze to follow Joey's, which was back on the swing area, Seto smiled when a memory touched the surface.

_"Higher, big brother! Push me higher!" Mokuba had cried. His squeals of delight were enough to make Seto smile and push the swings as hard as he could. He let the inhibitions and the stress of his life melt away as he fell into the tempo of pushing the light form of his little brother cradled gently on the rubber strap holding his in the air._

"Mokuba and I used to come to the park quite often when he was a child," Seto replied simply. "Of course I can swing. Why, do you want me to push you?" That look in his eye was back.

Without responding to the question, Joey leaped to his feet. "Come on, let's go swing."

Seto remained seated, taking a moment to watch his boyfriend walk away. The years of love and good eating had added a few pounds to Joey's figure, but he wore them well. It was Joey who had decided jogging would be a good way for them to spend the mornings together, and Seto had taken to going to work a little later to take advantage of their time together. Seto was still in pretty good shape, regularly taking advantage of the elaborate gym that he had in their home. He had offered to hire a personal trainer if Joey wanted to shed some pounds, but Joey had refused, saying that he had never had trouble with himself before.

Pulling himself to his feet, Seto followed Joey across the grass and into the sandy area where the swings lay. Seto smiled when Joey heaved himself into a swing, nearly toppling over backward with the force. "You comin'?" Joey called over.

Seto shuffled through the sand to the swing, relishing the resistance that the sand offered against his running shoes. He placed himself in the swing next to Joey, remaining far more graceful than his klutzy boyfriend had. He began to swing softly, dragging his feet through the sand and watching the dust pile on the tips of his shoes. Next to him Joey was taking a more enthusiastic approach to swinging, pumping his legs furiously and leaning backward then forward to propel the motion harder. Soon he was swinging so high that the chain would slack at the top, shaking the entire frame of the swingset when the momentum pulled him back toward the earth.

Soon Joey was panting, and stopped pumping his legs, simply swaying in the breeze and leaning forward against the cold chains. He looked at Seto with a curious look on his face, breaking his stare to gaze up lazily at the blue sky above them.

"You know," Joey said, jumping off the swing into the sand. "One of my biggest fantasies in Junior High involved the swingset."

Interest obviously peaked, Seto raised one eyebrow as a small smile pulled the corners of his mouth taut. "Really?"

Joey crossed in front of Seto to lean against the metal frame of the swingset, digging his toe into the sand. When he didn't say anything, Seto pried further. "Tell me about it."

Looking up at the sky, as though almost embarrassed to tell his boyfriend about a childhood fantasy, Joey took a deep breath. "I was a confused kid in Junior High," he began. "I wasn't sure about the things I was feeling, and I started getting a crush on this boy in my homeroom for the first time. I would imagine that we would go to the park, and he would be swinging. I would walk past him and he would pull me into his lap, and we would swing together like that." Joey looked back at Seto, blushing slightly. "It was just a stupid kid fantasy."

"Did it ever come to fruition?" Seto asked, cocking his head curiously at the way Joey wouldn't look him in the eye.

"No."

A few moments passed in silence, the only sounds coming from the light squeaking of rusty chain above the swing that Seto was sitting on. Finally, Seto reached out and grabbed Joey firmly by the waist. Letting out a small squeak from the unexpected manhandling, Joey was surprised to find himself suddenly sitting in Seto's lap on the swing. Seto began pushing himself backward, so that they were gently rocking together on the swing. Joey rearranged himself and leaned his head against Seto's shoulder, so that their heads were nearly side by side.

"Is it like you thought it would be?" The feel of Seto's warm breath on Joey's ear made Joey's entire body tingle.

"It's nearly perfect." Joey said.

Eyebrows scrunched together, Seto pondered the "nearly" part of Joey's statement. "What kind of freaky fantasies were you having at age 13?" he asked.

Laughing, Joey lowered his head, shaking it slightly. "My Junior High fantasies always ended with a kiss."

Squeezing his arms more tightly around his boyfriend, Seto leaned forward to capture the side of Joey's mouth with his lips. As Joey turned his head, Seto deepened the kiss slightly, making sure to keep it chaste and innocent, as though they really were Junior High boys simply testing unfamiliar waters together.

The kiss ended, and Joey settled back into Seto's chest. Joey let out a breathy sigh, and Seto could barely hear the single word that escaped Joey's throat.

"Perfect."


End file.
